B-O-M-B-O: Bomb Scare Yields Suspicious Bag of Bingo Boards

The Bergen County Bomb Squad rushed to Fair Lawn on Wednesday night upon the report of a potentially suspicious device—which turned out to be a blue messenger bag full of bingo boards.

A resident taking a dog for a walk found the unattended bag near the intersection of Bergen Avenue and George Street at about 9:20 p.m., Fair Lawn police officer Lonnie Mergler said at the scene, which was directly in back of the  parking lot.

While Bergen Avenue was blocked off with yellow caution tape between George Street and Parmelee Avenue, the bomb squad searched the area and brought the suspicious bag to its truck for an investigation. After a few minutes, the squad determined it wasn't dealing with a bomb and emerged from the truck with the bingo supplies.

In fact, the site of the suspicious bingo boards was a mere two-minute walk from—you guessed it—the  on Gardiner Road.

Whenever there is a suspicious package, the police department's protocol is to call upon the county bomb squad to examine its contents, Mergler explained. On Oct. 29 in Fair Lawn, a toner cartridge shipped to the office of ThermoFisher Scientific on Nevins Road was —amid that day's news of a —but turned out to be harmless.

"We take everything seriously now," Mergler said of suspicious packages and other alerts. "We just heighten our awareness."